That subwoofer is surprisingly powerful for its size as well, producing a good amount of rumble for those intense game and movie moments. If you think that computer speakers are becoming obsolete, these will certainly change your mind. Want to get more out of the Creative Pebble Plus? With a simple switch of a button, access the High Gain Mode to increase the power output to 8W RMS* for stronger bass performance and room-filling audio — at no loss to audio quality. Bring It Up a Notch You don’t need to spend a fortune on a good set of computer speakers. For budget-conscious consumers, Creative’s Pebble Plus is more than good enough for the job, whether you’re a hardcore gamer or a film fanatic. This 2.1 speaker system may not be audiophile quality, but it produces great sound for how much it costs. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find better stereo sound at this price range. You’ll have a hard time finding a set of powered bookshelf speakers that sound as good as these, especially for music listening via Bluetooth. Listening to these speakers, we found them to have a solid mid-range and a wide soundstage. Of course, the bass doesn’t go too deep as these are on the smaller side and the high end is slightly veiled.

Overall, for an inexpensive, USB-powered 2.1 system which is meant to be used primarily with your laptop, the Pebble Plus leaves little room for complaints in terms of sound quality. All three boxes are built from veneered MDF but there are no mesh grilles, making this a system that will appeal to users who want their speaker system to look “high tech” rather than “hi-fi”. Edifier even includes a remote control, although you can turn the system on and off and adjust the volume, treble and bass using controls on the side of the master satellite speaker, which also has a small and rather hard-to-read LED source indicator under the main driver.The sound quality is excellent, with plenty of detail and a massive amount of bass if you turn the subwoofer up to 11. The S351DB is perhaps more at home with music and video sources than gaming because the system is tuned for warmth and balance rather than staccato detail but that subwoofer certainly gives gaming sound effects some serious impact. Maxi-Cosi is a well-known brand in the car seat market and has a good reputation for thoroughly testing its own products. The Pebble Plus carries the orange ECE R44 approved label which means it complies with European safety standards (UN R129), as all car seats should.

The USB-powered spherical satellites are compact enough to be slotted into just about any desktop setup, while audio quality is good given the low cost of entry. Dialogue is communicated particularly well, but those wanting impactful bass reproduction will be better served by a 2.1 speaker setup like the Pebble Plus. There are not necessarily any particular features that separate the best computer speakers from subpar ones. It's more a matter of execution. However, you’ll end up with better results if you get something with some kind of digital connectivity, whether that’s USB, Optical or even Bluetooth. Analog speakers can still sound great, but they tend to sound a little more compressed in comparison. Its audio performance is where this 2.1 system really shines, giving us crisp and detailed highs as well as full and present mids during testing, and a whole lot of punchy bass and deep rumble that practically shook our reviewer’s apartment building. And while its soundstage proved to be reasonably wide and its sound imaging very good, switching to THX Spatial Audio made our gaming experience all the more immersive while keeping things natural-sounding. The Katana SE is a single-unit soundbar that uses two up-firing mid-bass drivers in place of a discrete subwoofer. It loses out on a bit of low-end oomph compared to its stablemates the Katana V2 and V2X as a result, but the upside is that you don’t have to find room for a chunky sub. Its compact design helps it fit seamlessly under most monitors, while intuitive controls, including a handy volume wheel, make it a user-friendly option to plug in and enjoy right away. The only connectivity you might miss is an AUX-in but as an alternative to traditional PC speakers, the Stage SE does so much else right at extremely low cost that its absence is easy enough to forgive.

The other thing you'll notice is the slight slant of the speakers themselves, a relatively minor, yet still significant move. Often times, computer speakers either face straight ahead or offer only a slight angle. Here, both speakers have been set to about a 45-degree angle, pointing them towards your ears when sitting down. Not only does this give the Pebble Plus a more unique look, but it helps with sound quality, too.